1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to disposable hot beverage containers, such as coffee cups and tea cups. More particularly, the present invention relates to hot beverage containers that contain filter elements that trap solids within the container yet enable fluid to flow freely from the container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many people enjoy drinking tea or coffee. However, most types of tea and coffee must be brewed. In the case of tea, dried tea leaves are steeped in hot water. The tea leaves flavor the water to produce tea. In the case of coffee, hot water is filtered through ground coffee beans, wherein the coffee beans flavor the water. After the brewing process, the residual tea leaves or coffee grounds are removed, thereby leaving the consumable beverage. The residual tea leaves and coffee grounds are removed because the presence of these solid by-products in a beverage ruins the consistency of the beverage and is undesirable to many people. Digestion of tea leaves and coffee grounds is problematic for the consumer. Furthermore, tea leaves or coffee ground are commonly bitter if consumed. Thus, if consumed with the beverage, the tea leaves or coffee grounds can ruin the flavor of the beverage and harm the digestive system.
Tea and coffee have been consumed as a beverage for thousands of years. As a result, the prior art is replete with various devices used to brew tea and coffee. For the past century, coffee beans typically have been prepared in some type of coffee pot. Within the coffee pot, ground coffee beans are typically placed in a metal strainer or a paper filter. Hot water is then either percolated or poured through the ground coffee beans. After the coffee is brewed, the grounds remaining in the strainer or filter are removed, thereby leaving only the beverage for consumption. Such a brewing process is time consuming and requires a coffee pot. If a person desires an "instant" cup of coffee that can be prepared in a cup with hot water, a person cannot used fresh ground coffee. Rather, a person must purchase highly processed coffee that is specifically designed to dissolve instantly in water. However, many people believe that processed coffee lacks the complexity of flavor that fresh ground coffee has. As such, flavor is sacrificed for convenience.
In the brewing of tea or other herbs, tea leaves are typically immersed in hot water and allowed to steep for a period of time. After the tea has steeped, the tea leaves are removed from the beverage. Commonly, tea leaves are packaged in filter bags that can be immersed in hot water. As such, the filter bag can be easily removed from a cup of hot water after the tea leaves have steeped for a period of time. Prior to the invention of disposable paper tea bags, tea balls were commonly utilized. A tea ball is a hollow perforated metal ball that holds a quantity of tea leaves. The tea ball is immersed in a cup or pot of hot water. After a period of time, the tea ball can be removed, thereby removing the tea leaves from the beverage.
Processed coffees and teas come only in a small number of varieties. More and more, people desire more variety than is presented to them at the supermarket. As a result, more people are buying exotic blends of teas and coffee in bulk. The problem associated with the bulk purchase of teas and coffees is that the coffee must be made in a coffee pot and the tea must be placed in a tea ball or filter. Such processing of the tea and coffee is time consuming, inconvenient to many and prevents the portability of the beverage being prepared.
As a result of the above, a need exits for a product that would enable bulk ground coffee or bulk tea leaves to be prepared into a beverage as quickly and as easily as a processed instant coffee and a tea bag. This need is met by the present invention as it is described and claimed below.